[Third Person's PoV]
As the train began to rumble along the tracks, the scenery outside blurring into streaks of green and blue, Lance turned curiously toward Arthur. The recent introductions had gone smoothly—After Gwyneth introduced herself the others had followed suit politely again—but the way Gwyneth reacted to seeing Arthur still lingered in Lance's mind.
"Are you by any chance… famous?" Lance asked, raising an eyebrow as he studied him from head to toe.
Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "A bit, I suppose," he said modestly, his voice calm but cautious, as if wary of how Lance might respond.
"A bit?!" Gwyneth nearly shouted in disbelief, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Well, aren't you being modest! This guy's practically the posterboy for the Daily Prophet. He's published books that have won actual awards—multiple kinds! Not to mention he just opened a magical supply shop that's already making waves, and let's not forget the modeling competitions he's 'won' without even attending them personally."
Arthur's ears flushed a deep pink as he groaned, covering his face with one hand. "I didn't even apply to those competitions… It was a forced entry. Literally. I had no idea I was in them until I saw it in the daily Prophet and started to receive rewards for them in the mail"
"Seriously?" Gwyneth blinked in surprise, Mer-lynn's reaction had confirmed his words. The witch was already snickering into her sleeve, clearly amused by the memory.
"You guys should have seen his face when saw them," Mer-lynn confirmed with a grin. "It's one of my most favorite memories to look back too"
Gwyneth's face softened, her confidence flickering briefly before she spoke up again. "So um… can I get your autograph?" she asked, clutching her cat a little closer to her chest.
Arthur blinked, taken aback. "Sure," he replied, his voice a mix of surprise and amusement. "Didn't know you were a fan of the books."
Her cheeks turned a shade redder. "It's… not because of the books I'm a fan," she admitted sheepishly.
The compartment went silent. Even the gentle clack of the train wheels felt distant in that moment. Lance, Arthur, and Mer-lynn all stared at her, their expressions somewhere between amused and dumbfounded. She had just listed all the reasons Arthur was well-known—and the shop was definitely the least likely one to inspire admiration.
"…Right," Arthur finally said, trying to remain professional. He gave a polite smile, though there was a tinge of resignation behind it—he was used to this by now. "What would you like me to sign?"
"Uh… I don't have anything on me right now," she said, biting her lip. "Maybe once we get to Hogwarts?"
"Of course," Arthur agreed with a warm, charming smile that, thanks to his sculpted features, was devastatingly effective. Gwyneth inwardly swooned.
Lance, who had been silent throughout this entire exchange, looked completely lost. He shifted in his seat awkwardly, unsure whether to comment something, or just pretend he hadn't heard anything. In the end, he chose the safest option—stay quiet.
Sensing the lull, Mer-lynn smoothly changed the topic. "So, Gwyneth, care to tell us a bit about yourself?" she asked, her voice light and inviting.
"Well, hmm, I already said my name, I'm 11, I like the color green and I suppose I really enjoy gardening and potion making," Gwyneth said after a moment's thought, smiling gently.
Before she could continue, both Lance and Arthur simultaneously groaned, their faces darkening as if she had just uttered some sort of forbidden curse. Their shoulders slumped, and they had a look filled with mutual pain.
"What's with that reaction?" Gwyneth asked, her brow furrowing as she stared between the two boys.
"Potion making," Arthur muttered darkly.
"Gardening," Lance added with equal dread.
"What a nightmare," they said in perfect unison, visibly shuddering at the memory.
Gwyneth's pout was instant. "What do you mean 'what a nightmare'? That's rude! What's there not to like about it?"
Arthur leaned forward as if recounting a war story. "The surgical precision of cut ingredients…"
"The constant care…" Lance added.
"The fermentation that could take months even years" Arthur continued.
"The Baby Mandrakes, they're so bloody loud" Lance winced still remembering his childhood of learning how to take care of magical plants.
"Zero room for error, the finest mistake means failure" Arthur whispered.
"Those boggarts die from the smallest things, a slight chill in the air? Dead. Sneezing too loud? They get scared to death. Water them a single drop too much? They drown to death." Lance grimaced.
Gwyneth stared at them, completely bewildered. "Are you two okay?"
Mer-lynn burst out laughing.
Gwyneth looked almost guilty now. "Sorry for bringing it up…?"
"It's alright," both boys mumbled in unison. They glanced up at each other and shared a smile.
Without a word, they reached across the space and clasped hands in solemn unity. In that instant, a new bond was forged—not from mutual interests, but mutual suffering.
"So," Gwyneth said with a grin, recovering quickly, wanting to change the topic so to not make them suffer, "if the things I like are so traumatizing, what is it you do like?"
"Swords," both Arthur and Lance replied, perfectly in sync.
Mer-lynn rolled her eyes, her expression wry. "Of course."
Arthur's smile softened as he added, "Although I also love magical creatures. They're fascinating… and much easier to understand than people."
"I… don't really have any other major interests," Lance admitted with a shrug. "At least not that I can remember right now."
Finally, everyone turned to Mer-lynn.
She smiled, a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Magic," she said simply, almost reverently. "Just plain ol' magic."
Gwyneth had been staring at Merlin for quite some time, her brows furrowed in curiosity before she finally blurted out, "Not to be rude, but… why is your hair white?"
Before Merlin could respond, Arthur jumped in with a straight face, "She's an albino. She can't help but look like that."
Merlin's head turned slowly toward him, her expression blank yet full of unspoken retribution. Arthur barely lasted a few seconds before breaking down into uncontrollable laughter, slapping a hand over his mouth in a feeble attempt to hold it in.
With a flick of her wand, Merlin responded swiftly and wordlessly. In a swirl of magic, Arthur shrunk down and transformed into a small, fluffy lion cub standing shakily on its hind legs.
"MEOW~!!" he cried in protest, his wide, panicked eyes darting around the compartment.
Gwyneth immediately burst into laughter, her arms clenching her cat to her chest as she nearly doubled over. Lance quickly turned his face to the window, failing to suppress the chuckle that turned his cheeks a shade of pink.
Rolling her eyes, Merlin corrected, "First of all, don't listen to that idiot—I'm not an albino. And second, it's just how I was born. I don't usually like explaining it."
"I'm sorry for asking," Gwyneth said quickly, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's just… I thought it looked really pretty. It suits you."
Merlin's expression softened into a genuine smile. "Thank you," she said, before flicking her wand again and restoring Arthur to his original form.
He groaned, rubbing his head. "I don't think words are enough to describe how much I didn't enjoy that…" His words earning a laugh from everyone.
As the train sped onward, the group began to ease further into their conversation, the awkwardness replaced with familiarity. Their laughter came more naturally now, and it was easy to forget they'd only just met. The atmosphere shifted as though they were old friends reunited after years apart.
"So what you're telling me," Arthur said in a mock-serious voice, holding up his black cat for emphasis, "is that you don't see how perfect Cosmo is? Just look at him—he's regal, affectionate, fluffy. He's basically royalty."
Gwyneth scoffed, cradling her white Siberian cat like a baby. "Please. Leona is majestic. Just look at her! That fur, that grace—she's clearly superior in every possible way."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "She doesn't even resemble a lion. What's the point of naming her Leona?"
"It's her personality, obviously!" Gwyneth said with mock offense. "She might look dainty, but she's fierce. A real queen."
Lance and Merlin exchanged exhausted glances, both silently begging for rescue from the escalating cat debate.
Before they could intervene, the sound of a friendly voice echoed down the corridor.
"Trolley's here! Would anyone like anything from the trolley? Trolley passing through!"
Arthur's eyes lit up as he sprang to open the compartment door. "Over here!"
The sweet old lady pushing the cart gave them a warm smile. "And what would you dearies like?"
"Four of everything, please," Arthur said politely, handing over a pouch of sickles.
Once the purchase was complete, Arthur began dividing the treats evenly into four neat piles, handing them out without hesitation.
"You didn't have to do that," Gwyneth said, genuinely touched.
"I'll pay you back for my share," Lance offered quickly.
Arthur waved them off. "Nonsense. Consider it a gift. We're friends now, aren't we?"
He raised a chocolate frog in a mock-toast. "To newfound friendship!"
Gwyneth's face lit up as she mirrored his motion with the same item. "To newfound friendship!" she echoed, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Arthur turned to Merlin, giving her an expectant look. She sighed—long and theatrical—but a small smile tugged at her lips. She raised a chocolate frog as well and muttered, "To newfound friendship…"
All eyes then turned to Lance, who had his face buried in his palm. He groaned softly before reluctantly raising a chocolate frog in response.
He didn't say the words, but his gesture was clear enough.
Arthur and Gwyneth erupted into cheers and high-fived each other while Merlin chuckled softly, her laughter hidden behind her hand.
Lance shook his head at their antics but couldn't stop the small smile curling at the edge of his lips.
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